Consensual (NHB Modern Plays) by Evan Placey

Author:Evan Placey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nick Hern Books

Scene Seven

Outside DIANE’s house.

FREDDIE tosses the biscuit into a bush. Rings the bell. PETE answers the door.

PETE. Yes?

Hello?

FREDDIE. I, uh… sorry, wrong house.

PETE. Who are you looking for?

FREDDIE. ’S alright, mate. Sorry to’ve. (Goes to leave.)

PETE. I know who you are.

Pause.

FREDDIE. Tell her I… I dropped the uh… the allegation. Tell her I stopped by and.

PETE. Why did you do it?

FREDDIE. Just leave it, mate.

PETE. I’m about to give my six-year-old daughter a bath. I just fed her her tea and I’m about to give her a bath.

I don’t know how you got this address. But this is my home. This is our lives. You and your generation just think you can… and it scares me, the world I’m bringing up my daughter in. Where you just click, send, say without a second thought. Without thinking through the intention or the consequences.

FREDDIE. You can save your little speech for your daughter, mate.

PETE. I’m trying to help you.

FREDDIE. You know fuck-all about my life.

PETE. I know your parents are dead. I know your brother has shady business dealings. And I don’t want you to –

FREDDIE. That’s you, is it? Leave my brother be.

PETE. Diane obviously tried to help you once. And I’m just trying to do the same.

FREDDIE. Help me? Help me? Threatening my brother?

PETE. No one’s. What he’s doing, if he’s doing things dishonestly, is no one’s fault but his own, Freddie.

FREDDIE. Stop saying my name like you know me. You pretend you never heard my name or my brother’s.

PETE. It’s maybe too late for him, Freddie. But maybe not for you. And that’s why I’m trying to give you advice, because I know that despite what you’ve done, for reasons that are difficult for me to fathom, Diane cares about you.

FREDDIE spits. It lands at PETE’s feet.

FREDDIE. Fuck your charity. You lay off my brother or I go back to the police, tell them what she done.

PETE. Your brother is responsible for his own actions.

FREDDIE. Won’t just be your wife, yeah. Neighbourhood find out she’s a paedo, people’ll be egging your house, smashin’ shit through your windows. Your daughter’ll be scared to leave the house.

You pick up that phone right now, tell whoever you need to tell to leave my brother alone.

PETE. That’s not how it works.

FREDDIE. Do it or I’ll, right now. Detectives sitting by the phone just waiting for me to change my mind again.

PETE. Then you’ll force me to look into your dad.

FREDDIE. You think I care? The bastard’s dead.

PETE. And he hasn’t submitted a tax return for the last decade. That rusty box you’re living in, they’ll take it. The TV, the fridge, the couch, your bed. Everything. I haven’t brought it to anyone’s attention because I don’t want to make things any harder for you than they already are.

FREDDIE. You know where I’m from, we don’t hide behind some fucking paper, we roll up our sleeves if we’ve got a problem.

PETE. Well. I have more dignity than that. And so should you. I have morals.

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